“THE BAD SEED” WAS A SHOCKING MOVIE FOR ITS TIME

Tilda Swinton’s excellent movie “We Need to Talk About Kevin” brought up the infrequently mentioned subject of child psychopaths and reminded many people of the 1956 movie “The Bad Seed” which was extraordinary for it’s time. Patty McCormack made an indelible impression playing polite but demonic 10 year old Rhoda in “The Bad Seed.” She’s still around and was seen fondling semiprecious stones at Crystalarium on Melrose Avenue. Currently, Patty often guests on TV series like “NYPD Blue” or “Grey’s Anatomy” and starred as Pat Nixon in the Nixon/Frost movie in 2008.

24 Comments so far

By ChicagolandOn January 27, 2012 at

Glad to see Patty McCormack is still working! “The Bad Seed” is a very compelling film—with a great-rather shocking—ending.

Another favorite, Eileen Heckert, played the mother of the little boy who was killed by Patty’s character. Eileen was terrific actress, with a very long career; she pretty much steals her big scene in that movie.

By ChicagolandOn January 27, 2012 at

This site is inserting typos in my posts! 😀

By spellczechOn January 27, 2012 at

Re that headline:

There is no apostrophe in ITS, the possessive pronoun.

IT’S with an apostrophe is a contraction for IT IS or IT HAS.

By BluejayOn January 27, 2012 at

I just hate checking out my favorite mysteries from the library, and some bozo has to pencil in the corrections for typos. Get a life.

By HilaryOn January 27, 2012 at

Spellczech beat me to it! 🙂

By PatrickOn January 27, 2012 at

Spellczech.
Hmmmm?!
CzecklessloPolakian!

By forrest gumpOn January 27, 2012 at

this was a movie for paedophiles?

By MuffieOn January 28, 2012 at

This movie was one of the most frightening movie I saw when I was younger. It was right up there with The Omen. That little girl did such a great acting job, she deserved to win an Oscar!

By lipppOn January 28, 2012 at

While “The Bad Seed” was controversial for its time, and an interesting film, the original plot was altered to satisfy the censors of the ’50s. Initially, “The Bad Seed” was a Broadway play before it was a film. In the original, the young girl is not killed by lightening. No. She survives and, if I remember correctly, is taken under the wing of her neighbor leaving the audience the impression the neighbor may be the next victim. When the film was made, evil could never win out. The bad guy had to be caught or reach a horrible end. Similarly, in “The Seven Year Itch”, Marilyn Monroe’s character actually slept with the guy downstairs when his wife was away. In the movie, they never got that far which, of course, diluted the plot and really did not make sense. So, thank God the lily white, moralistic censors have been put out business.

By Gee GeeOn January 28, 2012 at

Oh my Goodness I use to absolutely LOVE that movie as a child. I use to look in the Tv Guide and I’d be soooo happy when I saw it was coming on. The last time I saw it was in 1977 but I do remember my favorite part when Leroy told Rhoda ,I know you kill that boy and throw yo shoes down the shoot cause I found dem shoes Lol. Also I remember her mother asking her why Rhoda why? And she saying that penmanship metal belonged to me. I am so happy my favorite childhood actress is alive and well.

By PatrickOn January 28, 2012 at

WE have lots of “Bad Seeds” on this site!
Let’s start with Christine India..then there is Muffy! Cal and REta! That Calviderous chick is pretty frightening!
Say Something Nice is straight from hell too!!
I’m ascared! I’m ascared!!

By georgieOn January 28, 2012 at

I remember my parents thought it was too scary for me to watch when I was little in the 60’s and didn’t see it til the 70’s. It is a great classic, and McCormack was great!

By georgieOn January 28, 2012 at

Hey Patrick, my husband bought me a Taylor GS mini for a gift last month. Its their parlor-sized acoustic. Also, we just got back from the NAMM show in Anaheim last week. It was tons of fun. Our teenager got to play all the guitars of his dreams…a Rickenbacker, teles, strats, les paul, SG, ES335, etc. Its a huge, huge trade show. It wears you out but its amazing to see so much of the musical instrument industry in one place.

By Say Something NiceOn January 28, 2012 at

Actually, Patrick, dearest—
We’re originally from “Upper Hades Heights,” which is technically a suburb of Hell—a bedroom community, if you will.

Thanks for the shout-out, you devil! 😉

By Say Something NiceOn January 28, 2012 at

Oh, and Bad Seed = Very good movie.

By calOn January 29, 2012 at

Oh Patrick… You ain’t seen nothing yet!

xx

By ShaquitaOn January 29, 2012 at

I just rented that movie on Netflix, and the girl did a great job. Now didn’t the mother kill her at the end.

By ChicagolandOn January 29, 2012 at

Shaquita, did you fall asleep before the conclusion?

OK, here’s what happens****SPOILER ALERT****for any who haven’t yet seen it:

The mother finally puts it all together and realizes that her daughter ‘Rhoda” is really a HOMICIDAL MANIAC, so she decides to kill her and then herself.

She gives Rhoda sleeping pills, then goes into another room and shoots herself in the head.

Cut to the hospital, where the mother—Christine—has survived and is begging her husband’s forgiveness. He says everything will work out. Soon after, the husband is being comforted by a caring neighbor—Monica— who tells him, “No matter what happens, you still have Rhoda!”—who we then see come skipping down the hospital hallway—apparently fully recovered from the overdose.

Finally, back at home with her dad, Rhoda makes plans to sneak out of the house and retrieve the stolen Penmanship Medal that started the whole story in motion.

It’s a dark and stormy night (heh-heh). Rhoda goes to the pier where the medal had dropped into the water…fishes around the pilings with a long pole…and then, BAM !!…a lightning strike brings a quick and grisly end to the pier, Rhoda, and the movie.

A true classic LOL. 😈

By PatrickOn January 29, 2012 at

Georgie, I would love to get down there for the NAMM someday. I am so ADHD when it comes to gear. I spend hours cruising ebay and audiogon reading reviews and pricing. I have a few gigs{friends only these days} lined up so far this year and will be wowin em out with the big sound and lights. Ow my achin back after moving my Yorkville Elite powered 18’s! Fun.
Chicks just dig talkin about gear…don’t they!!

By PatrickOn January 29, 2012 at

My wife bakes, knits, scrapbooks and stands around waiting to pleasure me for the most part, Georgie. Discussions of Leo Fender and Seymour Duncan are a mystery to her.
Let’s run away and fall in love, Georgie. I’ll show you my pick ups if you show me yours!

By MuffieOn January 29, 2012 at

Oh Patrick my dear, in the words of Fred Flinstone….

“you are droll my friend, very droll”

By georgieOn January 29, 2012 at

Hey you scamp! Sounds like you have it pretty good! And so do I. Speaking of Seymour Duncan, he always has the “cool” booth at NAMM. Lots of big comfy couches and chairs and funky draperies and chandeliers. We scored one of the couches for a nice end of the day mini concert with Eric Gale & after a few numbers, Seymour came out and played with him.

By georgieOn January 29, 2012 at

Anyway, hope you make it to NAMM one day. Its a very cool experience.

By PatrickOn January 30, 2012 at

It’s on the bucket list Georgie but my Mrs. is deep in the science books for the next couple of years{she’s changing careers and wants to come to work with me}so I have to knuckle under and help fly the boat at home.
The pussy snaps shut if I’m not doing exactly as told.

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